Technically, football in 2018 has come to an end for the Kentucky football Wildcats. However, by the aid of a 9-3 season, head coach Mark Stoops and his team will appear in the 2019 VRBO Citrus Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions.
With the date set for January 1st, the Wildcats will have plenty of time to prepare. However, with that time will also come the pondering of Benny Snell, Josh Allen and other stars who are expected to declare for the NFL draft.
In recent years, star players who are anticipated to land in the first few rounds of the draft have sat in their team’s respective bowl game. Seeing Allen and/or Snell do the same wouldn’t come as a surprise and would certainly be understandable.
Although, both of their contributions would be significant as a win over the Nittany Lions would cement one of the greatest seasons in the history of Kentucky football.
The Wildcats began their season 2-0, which included a streak-ending win at Florida. They then moved to 5-0, a record that involved a dominating win over Mississippi State.
After losing out late in overtime at Texas A&M, the Wildcats bounced back with wins over Vanderbilt and Missouri for a 7-1 record. While losses to Georgia and Tennessee were a bump in the later part of the season, sound wins over Middle Tennessee and Louisville gave Kentucky one of their better regular seasons in modern history.
Going 10-3, winning the Citrus Bowl and boasting half of their wins over teams that were ranked at some point during the season would be a significant way to send off such a talented, veteran group of football players.
Kick-off is scheduled for 1 P.M. EDT on New Year’s Day.